Wind instrument



G. M. STROBINO WIND INSTRUMENT May 12, 1953 Filed July 17, 1947 2Sheets-Sheet 1 ll 4/ d/ Inventor J m m m a l 1 J May 12, 1953 G. M.STROIBINO WIND INSTRUMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 17, 1947 n J W, w0

Patented May 12, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE .3 Claims.

This invention relates to a musical instrument and particularly to awind instrument. 'It has for one object to provide a simple wind.instrument which can be played readily and 'withwhich control isaccomplished bythe hands which are applied to openings in theinstrument.

Another object is to provide a wind instrument without reeds or othercomparable members.

Other objects will appear from time to time throughout the specificationand claims.

This invention is illustrated more or le s diagrammatically in theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of one form of the device;

Figure 2 is a section taken at'line 722 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a top plan view of a modified form of the device;

Figure 4 is a plan view of the device of Figure 3, the view being takenat an angle of 90 from that of Figure 3-;

Figure 5 is a section taken at line 55 of Figure 4;

Figure 6'is an end elevation of the device shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5.

Like parts are indicated by like characters throughout the specificationand the drawings.

In general the device includes a housing or sound chamber with an openinwhich can be more or less closed b the hands or fin ers .of the player.It includes also a windpipe through which a blast of air is directed,and it includes an opening acrossand into which the blast of air isdirected. A throat or ledge extends across the path of entering air,which has a groove cut into it, the front end of said groove being outback to form an outlet for air blown into the windpipe.

- In the form of Figures '1 and '2 the wind chamher I may be made of aplurality-of parts joined together by screws 2, or otherwise. As shownparticularly in Figure 2, this chamber is provided with an opening orslot 3 in the bottom. It is also provided with a smaller opening 4, andit is shaped to provide an elevation or throat defining member 5adjacent the member 4.

6 is a Wind tube or pipe which may be flared, as at l, to receive thelips of a player. The blast of air for playing is directed through thepipe 6. The pipe is secured to the chamber 2 by screws 8, or otherwise.As shown, the passage 9 within the pipe 6 is directed toward the opening4. The lower portion of the passage 9 is, however, below the upper edgeof the throat or ledge member 5, as shown particularly in Figure 2.Adjacent the ledge member 5 is formed a depression Iii which is belowthe bottom orlower portion of the pas- 9. The front edge l5 of thisdepression is cut back. forming a D-shaped hole at the front of thepassage 9.

If desired, a rubber or other elastic member H maybe secured across aportion of the opening 4. As shown, it is held in place by members [2which are themselves reincvably held in place by thumb screws 13.

In the modified form of Figures 3 to 5, inclusive, the chamber iselongated and thus a hollow housing it defines the chamber. As shown inFigure 3 this housing is provided with two slots I-3 and 55. It isprovided with openings 16 and H in its ends. If desired, the opening I"!may receive a pitch controlling shutter member. As shown, this includesa housing l8 and a reduced portion I9 which fits into the opening H.Segments 29, '20 are fixed to a collar 21 which carries handles Segments23, 23 are fixedvrithinthe housing 18. Thus by movement of the-collar 2|and the segments 2-0, the openings through the housing 18 may beclosedor-adj -isted tovary thepitch of the instrument.

A tubular member 2 preferably flared as at :25, is fixed in relation tothe opening 25 formed in the housing 44. The opening 26 is formed in thewall of the housing 14. It is elongated, as shown in Figure :4, and isgenerally in line with the member '24. A throat or ledge defining-member21 is positioned adjacent the opening 26. The member 2-! directs airfrom the tube 24.11pwardly across the opening -26, as shown by-dottedline in Figure 5i As shown particularly in Figure 5, the bottom of thepassage 28 formed within the member 24 is below the upper portion of theledge 22?. It is above a depression or groove 29 formed adjacent theledge 27.

Although I have shown an operative form of my invention, it will berecognized that many changes in the form, shape and arrangement of 2'parts can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention,and my showing is therefore to be taken as, in a sense, diagrammatic.

The use and operation of this invention are as follows:

In the various forms shown the playing of the device is substantiallythe same. The device is held in one or two hands, the lips are appliedto the windpipe and a blast of air is blown through this pipe toward thechamber in the housing in any of the various forms. The hands or fingersof the operator are applied to the opening or openings in the chamber.The only opening which is not directly controlled by the hands orfingers of the operator is that across which the blast of air isdirected from the windpipe. As the air enters through the windpipe itstrikes the throat or ledge member and is deflected upwardly andoutwardly from the chamber. Thus the part 5 in Figures 1 and 2, the part21 in Figures 3, 4, 5 and 6 are baffles for the incoming air. Thepassage of the air is illustrated by the arrows in Figure 5.

The air entering through the pipe 2% strikes the groove 29 in the ledge21 and is deflected through the hole formed by cutting back the frontend of the groove, upwardly across the opening 26, thus generating itsfundamental note. It thus draws air into the chamber formed by thehousing M, and this air enters through the openings I3, l5, l6 and ii.The variation of this incoming air changes the fundamental note to anynote of the achromatic scale.

A corresponding air movement occurs in the other forms of the device,and they need not be redescribed in each case, and the air from thewindpipe is blown against a ledge adjacent an opening formed by thegrooves iii and 29 and is deflected upwardly and outwardly across andthrough the opening. As this movement occurs,

some suction is set up and air is drawn into the chamber through theother opening or openings provided in the housing which defines thecharm ber. Control of the musical notes is provided by controlling andvarying with the hand the size of the openings through which air entersthe housing to enter the chamber.

In all the forms of the device, the blast of air which comes through thewindpipe and strikes across and upwardly with respect to the openingtoward which it is directed draws air out of the body of the instrumentand the sound is produced at this point. In all of the forms of thedevice adjacent the inner or discharge end of the wind- .pipe or tubethere are both a groove and a notch.

The air in each case passes across the opening toward which it isdirected. Thus in the form of Figures 1 and 2 the air passes across theopening 4 but is not blown into it. Similarly, in the forms of Figures 3to 6, inclusive, the air passes upwardly and across the opening 25.

I claim:

1. In combination, in a musical instrument, means defining a resonancechamber, said resonance chamber shaped to provide a plurality ofopenings spaced apart, an aperture formed in said means and positionedbetween said openings, a deflecting surface forming member positionedadjacent said aperture, a groove positioned along the lower edge of saidsurface forming member,

and a windpipe connected to said means and 6 directed to discharge airagainst said deflecting surface forming member and thereafter acrosssaid opening, whereby air blown through said windpipe is dischargedagainst said deflecting surface and is deflected above and across saidaperture and establishes an air current across said aperture which iseffective to draw air from said resonance chamber and to create amusical note.

2. In combination, in a musical instrument, means defining a resonancechamber, said resonance chamber shaped to provide a plurality ofopenings spaced apart, an elliptically shaped aperture formed in saidmeans and positioned between said openings, a deflecting surface formingmember positioned adjacent said elliptical aperture, a groove positionedalong the lower edge of said surface forming member, and a windpipeconnected to said means and directed to discharge air against saiddeflecting surface forming member and thereafter across said opening,whereby air blown through said windpipe is discharged against saiddeflecting surface and is deflected above and across said ellipticalaperture and establishes an air current across said aperture which iseffective to draw air from said resonance chamber and to create amusical note.

3. In combination, in a musical instrument, means defining a resonancechamber, said resonance chamber shaped to provide a plurality ofelongated slots spaced apart adjacent the top of said means, anelliptically shaped aperture formed in said means and positioned betweensaid slots, a deflecting surface forming member positioned adjacent saidelliptical aperture, a groove positioned along the lower edge of saidsurface forming member, and a windpipe connected to said means anddirected to discharge air against said deflecting surface forming memberand thereafter across said slot, whereby air blown through said windpipeis discharged against said deflecting surface and is deflected above andacross said elliptical aperture and establishes an air current acrosssaid aperture which is effective to draw air from said resonance chamberand to create a musical note.

GASTON M. STROBIYNO.

References Cited in the, file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSNumber Name Date 766,027 Fairchild July 26, 1904 1,395,107 Hawk Oct. 25,1921 1,722,249 Lazare et al Jan. 23, 1928 2,209,427 Swanson July 30,1940 2,247,441 Hulsaver July 1, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date15,184 France Oct. 25, 1855 26,930 France Oct. 4, 1860 1,882 GreatBritain May 2, 1891 468,821 Great Britain July 13, 1937

